


In The Dark

by Frozenleaf



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Bravely Second - Freeform, F/M, Spoilers, Yokai sidequest, here take all my feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 14:24:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7056208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frozenleaf/pseuds/Frozenleaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the darkness of the tent, it was as if he would fade into the shadows of her memory once more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Dark

It was that grin that Edea had missed the most.

  
Even in his black armor, it was something that was distinctly Ringabel- goofy and inflated, much like the man himself. It was that grin that she knew immediately when he appeared by her side- the grin that had cut through the yokai's spell.

  
It was his grin that she had tried her best to forget.

  
Inwardly, she wasn't sure what to make of the recent events- what to make of Ringabel appearing, after he revealed that he had been the Alternis who had watched out for them all this while. After he saved her from the yokai when she had been at her most vulnerable.

After he returned- a year after he had left.

  
They were supposed to sleep; to rest up before their inevitable battle with Yoko. But every time she closed her eyes, she could see that grin of his, hear his assuring voice ringing in her ears. Remember how he had held her as she bawled, how he had promised that he would always be there.

  
And each time she tried to sleep, she ended up opening her eyes to make sure he was still there.

  
He had disappeared on her once before, after all.

But there he was. Propped nearby on some spare cushions Yew had found, Ringabel leaned against one of the tent poles nearby, head tilted back. Despite how uncomfortable it had seemed, especially given his wounds, he had insisted that he was fine. Deep down, Edea wondered whether he had simply wanted to be near her as they rested, like he used to be- when they had been young and foolish, travelling with Tiz and Agnes to save the world.

He was so close that she could almost reach out and touch his hand; could almost remember the quiet nights they had spent, sleeping under a canopy of stars with the Duchy at their backs. But now, he wore that same dark armor that reminded her of who he was- and why he had left.

It was scarcely the only difference- now there were dark shadows under his eyes, and she could hear his exhaustion from his ragged breathing. She remembered the times when he would be haunted by the memories of his past, remembered when that smile wasn't quite so goofy any longer. But back then, she had always hesitated to reach out to him and tell him it was alright; that he could count on them- on her. Back then, she wasn't sure whether she even wanted to.

But the year of silence without hearing his voice had been a cruel way to find out where her heart truly lay.

And he was here now.

Hesitantly, she reached out to his mailed hand, resting just inches away from hers. The metal felt cold, unnatural- not-Ringabel. Even so, it felt reassuring, just as much as it felt sad.

Then his thumb moved suddenly over her knuckles, and when she glanced up, she found herself staring into his wary, olive eyes. His lips were parted, as if he wanted to say something, but there was not a sound.

They stared at each other for a moment, and in the darkness of the tent, it felt like they were the only two people in the entire world.

She wondered what thoughts went through his mind- whether she should form some excuse.

But it was Ringabel who spoke first. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked easily, as if he had been inquiring if she would like a double serving of dessert, rather than why she had been holding his hand while he slept.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I just wanted to make sure you were still... here."

His expression faltered for a moment. But then he managed a smirk. "Of course I am," he responded. "Where else would I be?"

"I don't know." Edea sighed, pulling herself up into a sitting position, glancing away from the man. Quietly, she murmured, "Home, maybe."

She hadn't intended for him to hear her, but maybe she wasn't as quiet as she thought. She heard his sharp intake of breath, felt his grasp tighten briefly.

And in a ragged voice that was uncharacteristic of the man she knew, Ringabel said softly, "That wasn't why I... left."

She turned to him then. "You left to protect us- the us in your world. You left to... go home." But as soon as the words left her mouth, she saw a pained loneliness in his eyes as they dropped away from her- and she wanted nothing more than to take those words back; to make Ringabel return to the way he had been just moments before- the Ringabel she had been familiar with. The Ringabel that he had been trying so hard to be again.

Perhaps, like her, he had been trying to capture what they had been; trying to forget everything that had separated them.

But though they could travel through time, it wasn't so easy to take back the hurt her words had caused. Just like she couldn't go back in time, and stop him from leaving. Just like they couldn't so easily sweep aside everything that had happened just because they wished it to be.

"I left to save my world's Edea," he managed, even though he couldn't meet her gaze. There was a loneliness in his voice that felt more akin to Alternis's, but the way he spoke was all too gentle, quiet. Ringabel. "But that world wasn't my home any longer. And that Edea- that Tiz, Agnes- they weren't..." He paused, and there was a flash of sorrow in his eyes that Edea saw all too clearly. But he licked his lips, and continued, "They didn't know who Ringabel was."

Selfishly, Edea wanted to ask him, "So why did you leave? Why did you leave us, leave me?" But seeing the pain in his eyes, the answer was all too evident.

He had left not because of his duty as Alternis Dim- but because as Ringabel, he couldn't let his friends die, not if he could stop it. Not even if it meant giving up being him.

"Oh Ringabel," she whispered instead. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No," he protested, eyes wide, the energy suddenly back in his voice, "No. You deserved to know, but I was too cowardly-" He faltered. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd stop me- and that I wouldn't want to leave if I told you."

"I wouldn't have, you know." Edea bit her lip. "You would have died in here-" she pressed a hand against the cool metal of his chestplate, above his heart- "if I made you stay."

Quietly, he met her gaze. Then, slowly, he rested a hand over her own. "I wanted to stay," he admitted. "I never wanted to leave. But even then, I wondered if this world would have had a place for me."

"Would it have stopped you?" she asked.

He tilted his head. "Maybe," he answered. "Maybe... a part of me is glad that it didn't."

She paused. There was once a time she had thought that perhaps this was the way it was supposed to be- Ringabel would be with his Edea, and she would have Alternis at her side. But Alternis didn't grin at her when she punched him, didn't say something glib to ease the tension in the air. Alternis wasn't Ringabel, and her heart had denied that fate with all its might.

And looking at Ringabel's despondent face, she knew he had felt something similar as well.

"There was always a place for you here," she whispered, scooting closer so that he would hear her clearly. This time, she wanted him to know the words she never had the courage to say. "Maybe you had to leave then, but- but now you're here, and- you can stay. You always could."

He stared at her in surprise. She was all too aware of their proximity- there was scarcely an inch between their noses, and she could make out the streaks of colour amidst the olive of his eyes. Slowly, his steely expression melted, and she felt her cheeks flush under his warm, Ringabel gaze. He gave her a wry smile, a soft chuckle. "Dare I believe my ears? Edea Lee, begging me to stay, for her?"

Her punch was swift, if not entirely at full strength. Ringabel made a great show of nursing his cheek as she huffed and moved away. "I daresay that you are a far greater threat to my well being than the yokai itself," he moaned.

"Don't take my words out of context," she grumbled.

He grinned. Glancing around the tent, at their still-sleeping companions, he sighed softly and leaned against the pole once more. His hand found hers, and despite the fact that she just punched him, he slid his fingers between her own.

For some reason, Edea didn't quite feel like contesting his gesture. Instead, she simply accepted it, let the cool touch of metal rest lightly in her palm. It wasn't quite natural, but nothing about their relationship was exactly natural, she figured.

She found herself staring at Ringabel again. He still look exhausted, still felt too serious and sad to be exactly the Ringabel she knew. But as he rested, there was a contented smile on his face, as if he had come to terms with himself, if nothing else. "Do you know what this reminds me of, Edea?"

"What, Ringabel?"

"When I lost my memory. When we were chased by the Duchy; when I was sleeping under the stars with only you, Tiz and Agnes for company. I had nothing, but back then, I thought I had everything in the world." He closed his eyes wearily. "It may not be the same- Magnolia cooks far better than all of us, and Yew's tent is far more comfortable. But being here, Edea... this is home."

Wordlessly, she squeezed his hand. Somehow, he sensed the gesture through the metal, and returned it.

And as she curled up once more under her quilt, as she eased herself into slumber, she never once let go.

 

* * *

 

  
It was the day after they left the Vampire Castle, after Yoko was defeated and Ringabel had left, that Edea found herself unable to sleep once more. She stared at the pole where Ringabel once rested, his form brooding and ominous, yet nothing at all like the Dark Knight whose garb he wore.

Even now, she could still remember the words he told her after their battle- how he had promised he would always return for her. How he was always there, by her side when she needed him the most. She could remember the brightness and bravado he displayed, the way he tried not to show the sorrow and steely resolve in his eyes as he turned to leave-

She could almost imagine him here, sleeping against the pole, his visage resting in an easy smile, his hand intertwined with hers, never letting go till the morning.

She could almost imagine that what he said was true.

But if she was honest, she missed his stupid, all-too-Ringabel grin all the more.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of feels from Bravely Second so I wrote something to try and encapsulate all of them. I don't think it's enough but it'll have to do unless Bravely Third comes out and gives me more shipping material.


End file.
